What’s the Cowboys draft grade at the midway mark?

IRVING – At the halfway mark of the draft, I’d give the Cowboys a grade of C.

An argument can be made for giving them a B because their first-round pick, USC tackle Tyron Smith, has such a tremendously high upside. But a sober assessment of the pick should point out that might take him awhile to find his NFL footing after starting only two seasons at right tackle for the Trojans.

Then there’s the question marks surrounding third-round pick Bruce Carter, the speedy linebacker from North Carolina, and fourth-round pick DeMarco Murray, the versatile running back from Oklahoma. Both have injury baggage, especially Carter, who is rehabbing from December knee surgery and will likely be limited at training camp.

The Cowboys also lose points because they haven’t addressed some obvious needs. I’m talking about their porous defense, mainly the secondary and defensive end.